An explanation of the subject/contents of the document:
Andrew Brooks, a soldier from the war, writes a letter to his mother about William Brooks' hard recovery from his illlness he got during the war time, since hospitals and medical places and people weren't the best at the time. He wasn't sure William was going to make it and neither was the doctor.
*Analysis:
I found this document interesting in many ways. You never know how bad someone can suffer from an illness, wounds, or death until you read about it or face it yourself. In this document, it talks about William Brooks' illness and how he is having a difficult time recovering from it. Andrew Brooks tell us how he has an infection in his spine, which affects his brain too. This was surprising to me because I never knew an infection like that would affect such an important part of the body. He had swollen eyes, couldn't sleep, and seemed to get better, but the doctor thought that by the time he ended his letter to his mother, William wouldn't be getting better anytime soon or even ever. I didn't determine any bias in this letter either because it was about one's illness and how illnesses and wounds can affect one's life during the war and after. It talks about William's life of recovery, so no bias was shown in this letter.
Battle was surrounding them at the time too, but it was supposed to move within a day or two. I could connect this to my knowledge of the Civil War because I knew that many people get ill with deseases and infections from their wounds when fighting amongst many different people because you can't control the spreading and person to person connection when your fighting and battling with the same people everyday. I also know that many people don't get over their illnesses or deseases at time of War because there aren't many nurses and doctors and if there are, they might not be the best of the best to help them. In the letter Andrew Brooks says, "After I had mailed this letter Dr. Houston came in and told me, he thought Wm would likely not get well. He is extremely ill." This proves my point of how many people don't survive these illnesses all of the time.
Some questions that I still have are: What were the most reoccuring illnesses? How were these illnesses treated? Were the doctors and nurses good and certified? and How did other soldiers deal with the death of their buddies if they worked and battled with them everyday?
Citation:
Brooks, Andrew. "Letter to Eleanor Stuart Brooks." The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War. 16 July 1861. Web. 17 Dec. 2010. <http://valley.lib.virginia.edu/papers/Br1g16b>.
Newspaper Articles
Author:
Pennsylvanian
Date:
October 26th, 1859
Title:
The Harper Ferry Rioters Canonized
Place of Origin:
Tribune; Union
Brief Summary:
This article is about a Pennsylvania who writes of John Brown's Raid. It talks about how insurrection was not needed in the violence he committed, but how peace, discussion, and diffusion would have been a better way to handle the situation he was in. Many people did not agree with how John Brown handled the situation, but they talk about how it would someday influence the anti-slavery movements in the article.
*Analysis:
I found this article interesting and surprising because even though the people they talk about in the article talk about how they think John Brown's Raid was completely unnecessary in the way it was handled, but also how they thought eventually one day John Brown would be remembered when slavery was finally abolished and everyone was free, which they saw as a good point. I did determine a bit of bias in this article because the Pennsylvanian who wrote this article talks about how he/she believes many people, including themself, thought John Brown's Raid was unnecessary in the way it was handled and brought about. They think that it should've been handled in a more peaceful manner with discussion and diffusion, rather than violence and riots against slavery. They see it as something that could've been handled a lot better and good have made a better impression on people if he had handled his emotions and feelings of slavery in a different way. This opinion made it seem somewhat bias by choosing a side against John Brown.
The fear of slavery and the hard feelings of abolitionists during this time and around this date, who were trying to make things different and abolish slavery for good were some of the things happening at the same time as John Brown's Raid. I know that many people feared slavery would expand and that thousands more would become enslaved, which a lot of people wanted, such as the people in the North, while the people in the South disagreed because they wished to expand it. John Brown was a white abolitionist who was fighting to end slavery for the black people. Many people found this discomforting and strange because no one had done this before and many whites liked the thought of slavery, not including whites in the North. John Brown did handle the situtation very violently and uncivil. He could've made it so there could've been more peaceful decisions in his fight for anti-slavery or discussions that could've helped people become his followers. In the article it says, "Believing that the way to Universal Emancipation lies not through insurrection, civil war and blood shed, but through peace, discussion, and the quiet diffusion of sentiments of humanity and justice." The article also says, "They dared and died for what they felt to be the right, though in a manner which seems to us fatally wrong. Let their epitaphs remain unwritten until the not distant day when no slave shall clank his chains in the shades of Monticello, or by the graves of Mount Vernon." Even though John Brown acted violently and uncivil as it may seem, he was acting in the way he thought was right and the way that he thought his words and ways would be heard by all people. John Brown acted in a way he saw as right and hoped people would follow but not many did. He was going to start the movement for abolition of slavery in years to come and that's exactly what he wanted.
Some questions that I still have are: Why did John Brown pursue his plan? Why did his followers decide to follow him on his journey? What did the people who agreed with John Brown's Raid say about it? and for the people who disagreed with John Brown, How would they have handled the situation if they were in his shoes?
Doctors and Physicians look at and inspect a survivor of a Confederate military prison who is extremely skinny, bony, and most likely very unhealthy. You can see his spine and bones from looking at his back and arms that are also extremely skinny. He sits on a table while the doctors look at him to diagnose him with the many illnesses and issues he may have.
*Analysis:
This image was extremely interesting to me because it made me realize how the people held in these Confederate military prisons were treated and how they could suffer from it in various ways. It gives me a visual of how bad it could be and how doctors were interested in treating them and helping them because not many survived these prisons. It also surprised me though because I never knew it would be that bad and that horrible in treatment of their prisoners, so they became bony stick figures that were on the verge of dying. The dominant features/elements of this image is the prisoner and the doctors surrounding him.The prisoner is being diagnosed and treated for his sicknesses and many injuries he may have after being in these prisons. After looking up prisons of the Confederacy, I found out that there were many prisoners held in the same prisons, which probably made them very overcrowded. I also found out that there were many medical and medicine supplies that had shortages, which made a problem for the ill because they couldn't be treated well and many died, which could've been the case with the man in the image I got. There were also shortages of food, which also increased the death rate.
Secession of states were in progress around the time of when the Confederate military prision was formed. For example, on May 20, 1861 North Carolina seceded from the Union and just a few weeks later the Confederate military prison was formed, holding many prisoners. Exchange programs were also finally approved, which then seperated the group into two seperate groups so they could be liberated.
This was all new information to me, but I did have previous knowledge of my own that let me connect to this image. I knew that prisoners held in this Confederate military prison were treated horribly and unfair, which is shown and proved in the image I found. I also knew that there were food shortages sometime in the Civil War and this picture and the information I found made me aware of when it happened and how it affected many of the prisoners. I knew it caused them to become skinny, bony, and unhealthy though. Civil War was a bad time for many people and prisoners captured were especially living a hard life because they were starving and extremely unhealthy.
Some questions I still have about this image would be: What diagnosis did people get, like the one in the image after being looked over by the doctors and physicians? How many people survived these prisons? How old was the prisoner in the picture because he looks very young? and How did the surviving prisoners brought back to health?
Citation:
"Survivor of a Conferderate Military Prison." (1865). Rpt. in The Civil War: The Experience. Smithsonian Institution, 1975. Print.
Song Lyric
Author:
Words by: Thomas Manahan; Music by: B. Sontag
Date:
1864
Title:
"Comrades, I Am Dying!"
Place of Origin:
Union
*Analysis:
I found this song to be very interesting and inspiring because it showed me how soldiers fighting during the war weren't scared of death. It shows me how they want their own comrades to keep on pushing through and not to grieve for them who's dying. They inspire others to keep going and fulfill their destiny to survive through the war, which inspired me too because they have courage and die with the knowledge of how they helped their country and how their comrades will carry on to do the same. I was surprised that the soldier was so easy-going about his death because he made it seem so peaceful and natural, while I thought they would've handled it so much differently since battle was the cause of their death.
The message of this song is to tell fellow comrades to keep going on when their fellow comrades die in battle because it is likely to happen and happens to pretty much everyone. I feel that it also shows other comrades not to be afraid when they die because it was always a possibility when entering the war and when it happens they have to keep fighting and not let the death of their comrades get to them because they are ready to go and they can't stop it from happening.
The sound of this song evokes the feeling of despair and sadness, but if you didn't know what the song was about and you were just listening to the musical part, you would most likely evoke the feelings of despair and strangeness. Their is no frustration found in the lyrics or musical part of this song. It is talking about a soldier dying during a battle during the Civil War and how his mother is coming to bring him to heaven because his time is done their. I found no frustration because the song was somewhat touching on the subject of death.
No particular events around this date provided insight into this song, except for the Civil War battles itself. The song is about a soldier going through his own death and telling his comrads to carry on even though he is dying. Many people died in the Civil War and all of the battles that occured, so it could've been anyone of them. This song was more of an in general song because it isn't about a certain battle or fight, it's just about how he's dying and wants things to carry on like most soldiers would want. I know that many people die in war because its invinsible in a war like the Civil War. I also know that most of the soldiers fighting in wars are true and honest because they are defending a country they live for and for others who live in it too, so if they were to die they would want life to carry on without them so their goal could be achieved still. This song just showed me how easily they do take death during the war sometimes, like the man in the song. In the song he says, "Onward, comrades, to the battle, Angels they will lead the way." This shows how he wants them to keep moving and carry on without him.
Some questions I still have are: Did most soldiers take the death of their comrads easily? Did the soldiers dying handle it well? and How does the death of a fellow comrad effect the overall combat of their platoon?
"Comrades, I Am Dying!" (1864)
Song & Chorus
Words by Thomas Manahan,
Music by B. Sontag.
1.
Comrades, comrades, I am dying!
See the crimson fountain flow!
Sick and wounded, I am dying
On the field among the foe.
But the angels hover round me.
They will guard me while I sleep;
Comrades, onward to the battle,
Do not for the soldier weep.
CHORUS
Comrades, comrades, dying!
See the crimson fountain flow!
Sick and wounded, I am dying
On the field among the foe.
2.
Comrades, comrades, I am dying!
For I see me mother now:
See her coming down from heaven
With a wreath upon her brow.
God has sent her to the soldier,
She will teach him how to die;
And, when He has called my spirit
She will bear it to the sky.
(CHORUS)
3.
Comrades, comrades, I am dying!
Soon I'll be among the blessed.
Fare--oh! fare you well for ever,
I am going there to rest.
For my mother's arms entwine me,
And I can no longer stay;
Onward, comrades, to the battle,
Angels they will lead the way.
(CHORUS)
Battle was surrounding them at the time too, but it was supposed to move within a day or two. I could connect this to my knowledge of the Civil War because I knew that many people get ill with deseases and infections from their wounds when fighting amongst many different people because you can't control the spreading and person to person connection when your fighting and battling with the same people everyday. I also know that many people don't get over their illnesses or deseases at time of War because there aren't many nurses and doctors and if there are, they might not be the best of the best to help them. In the letter Andrew Brooks says, "After I had mailed this letter Dr. Houston came in and told me, he thought Wm would likely not get well. He is extremely ill." This proves my point of how many people don't survive these illnesses all of the time.
Some questions that I still have are: What were the most reoccuring illnesses? How were these illnesses treated? Were the doctors and nurses good and certified? and How did other soldiers deal with the death of their buddies if they worked and battled with them everyday?
Newspaper Articles
The fear of slavery and the hard feelings of abolitionists during this time and around this date, who were trying to make things different and abolish slavery for good were some of the things happening at the same time as John Brown's Raid. I know that many people feared slavery would expand and that thousands more would become enslaved, which a lot of people wanted, such as the people in the North, while the people in the South disagreed because they wished to expand it. John Brown was a white abolitionist who was fighting to end slavery for the black people. Many people found this discomforting and strange because no one had done this before and many whites liked the thought of slavery, not including whites in the North. John Brown did handle the situtation very violently and uncivil. He could've made it so there could've been more peaceful decisions in his fight for anti-slavery or discussions that could've helped people become his followers. In the article it says, "Believing that the way to Universal Emancipation lies not through insurrection, civil war and blood shed, but through peace, discussion, and the quiet diffusion of sentiments of humanity and justice." The article also says, "They dared and died for what they felt to be the right, though in a manner which seems to us fatally wrong. Let their epitaphs remain unwritten until the not distant day when no slave shall clank his chains in the shades of Monticello, or by the graves of Mount Vernon." Even though John Brown acted violently and uncivil as it may seem, he was acting in the way he thought was right and the way that he thought his words and ways would be heard by all people. John Brown acted in a way he saw as right and hoped people would follow but not many did. He was going to start the movement for abolition of slavery in years to come and that's exactly what he wanted.
Some questions that I still have are: Why did John Brown pursue his plan? Why did his followers decide to follow him on his journey? What did the people who agreed with John Brown's Raid say about it? and for the people who disagreed with John Brown, How would they have handled the situation if they were in his shoes?
Image
Secession of states were in progress around the time of when the Confederate military prision was formed. For example, on May 20, 1861 North Carolina seceded from the Union and just a few weeks later the Confederate military prison was formed, holding many prisoners. Exchange programs were also finally approved, which then seperated the group into two seperate groups so they could be liberated.
This was all new information to me, but I did have previous knowledge of my own that let me connect to this image. I knew that prisoners held in this Confederate military prison were treated horribly and unfair, which is shown and proved in the image I found. I also knew that there were food shortages sometime in the Civil War and this picture and the information I found made me aware of when it happened and how it affected many of the prisoners. I knew it caused them to become skinny, bony, and unhealthy though. Civil War was a bad time for many people and prisoners captured were especially living a hard life because they were starving and extremely unhealthy.
Some questions I still have about this image would be: What diagnosis did people get, like the one in the image after being looked over by the doctors and physicians? How many people survived these prisons? How old was the prisoner in the picture because he looks very young? and How did the surviving prisoners brought back to health?
Song Lyric
The message of this song is to tell fellow comrades to keep going on when their fellow comrades die in battle because it is likely to happen and happens to pretty much everyone. I feel that it also shows other comrades not to be afraid when they die because it was always a possibility when entering the war and when it happens they have to keep fighting and not let the death of their comrades get to them because they are ready to go and they can't stop it from happening.
The sound of this song evokes the feeling of despair and sadness, but if you didn't know what the song was about and you were just listening to the musical part, you would most likely evoke the feelings of despair and strangeness. Their is no frustration found in the lyrics or musical part of this song. It is talking about a soldier dying during a battle during the Civil War and how his mother is coming to bring him to heaven because his time is done their. I found no frustration because the song was somewhat touching on the subject of death.
No particular events around this date provided insight into this song, except for the Civil War battles itself. The song is about a soldier going through his own death and telling his comrads to carry on even though he is dying. Many people died in the Civil War and all of the battles that occured, so it could've been anyone of them. This song was more of an in general song because it isn't about a certain battle or fight, it's just about how he's dying and wants things to carry on like most soldiers would want. I know that many people die in war because its invinsible in a war like the Civil War. I also know that most of the soldiers fighting in wars are true and honest because they are defending a country they live for and for others who live in it too, so if they were to die they would want life to carry on without them so their goal could be achieved still. This song just showed me how easily they do take death during the war sometimes, like the man in the song. In the song he says, "Onward, comrades, to the battle, Angels they will lead the way." This shows how he wants them to keep moving and carry on without him.
Some questions I still have are: Did most soldiers take the death of their comrads easily? Did the soldiers dying handle it well? and How does the death of a fellow comrad effect the overall combat of their platoon?